


Cute

by angelkat



Series: [collection] Rival Argentica (2014-2018) [16]
Category: Angel Beats!
Genre: F/M, The SSS launches an operation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-23
Updated: 2016-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:33:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21802213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelkat/pseuds/angelkat
Summary: 'Yes! Yes, your Shiina-chan would love to call you Ayato-kun! It would be sooooo CUTE!'Ha-ha-ha. Like that would happen./reposted Dec 15, 2019. not edited
Relationships: Naoi Ayato/Shiina Eri
Series: [collection] Rival Argentica (2014-2018) [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1570921
Kudos: 3





	Cute

It was a beautiful night, but it wasn't.

It was a stupid, pointless, and idiotically reckless night of utter stupidity to the maximum level, and not, not, NOTbeautiful at all. Why?

Because she was annoyed.

She was annoyed to the noisy crickets, the wet grass, the annoying bugs, the cramped space. She was annoyed to the thorns of the bushes that kept pricking her skin, having no choice but to hide there. She was annoyed to the stars above, twinkling like it was just another merry night in this merry afterlife world where there was absolutely _nothing_ to be merry about. She was annoyed to the idiotic jerk sitting just beside her, because it made her feel exposed to his mesmerizing eyes. Especially if it'sduring another one of the Devil's ridiculous operations. And more _especially_ so if the aforementioned Devil forced her to work with _him,_ out of all the other more decent people in this oh-so-merry world. And look at the stupidity that reckless boss of a pink-head came up with again—

Operation: SELNA.

 **S** overeignty and **E** galitarianism **L** urking in the **N** ihility of **A** varice.

It made no sense.

And nonsensical things annoyed her.

And when she was annoyed, she says it aloud.

"This is so _stupid_."

Her words were sharp against the silence of the night. At the sound of her voice, the boy beside her lightly lifted his eyes to look at her without moving his head. He had this blank expression in his eyes, bored even, as he arched an eyebrow in her direction as if he just realized she was there. The pale, electronic blue light that radiated from his walkie-talkie swept over his expressionless face, and it made him look even colder than he already was.

The two of them hid under the cramped space that the bushes could offer, forcing the two of them to each other as close as possible. So uncomfortably and irritatingly _close_ , in fact, that they couldn't move a muscle without pricking themselves on the thorny leaves. It was an awkward position, and Shiina had to face the left side and Naoi the opposite so they don't accidentally end up getting their heads bump against each other; which, absolutely, would be ridiculously awkward. Shiina pretended that she was calm about it all by keeping her eyes focused onto the field (being calm was, after all, the maxim of ninjas), but the boy beside her was wrecking her nerves that she was sweating so profusely _._ She didn't know if it was from the hot temperature of their shrouded area, or _him._

Ayato Naoi.

The thing that rattled her nerves the most was that _he_ was so calm about this stupid mission and _she_ was the complete opposite of it. She didn't know why she felt so rattled when it came to him when they rarely even talk. _That stupid fool—dare he make me feel this way!_

"Shut up," he said, simply, and returned his eyes back on to the screen of his walkie-talkie. "I'm fully aware of the stupidity of this. You needn't tell me."

Shiina threw her head back in surprise. _No one_ told her to shut up. No one. She so _desperately_ wanted to spit that out to him while strangling his neck. Her shock was immediately replaced by her former annoyance, slowly growing into frustration. She looked at him with horrified eyes, but Naoi already returned listening to the instructions being given out on the walkie-talkie, bored as ever, oblivious to the angry girl beside him. The way he'd stated it was point-blank—he said 'Shut up' like he was the boss around here or something.

" _You're_ telling _me_ to shut up?" she snapped, her voice clipped.

"For the sake of your slow-processing brain," said Naoi, not looking up from his walkie-talkie, "yes, I repeat, _I_ told _you_ to shut up."

It took her a moment for that to fully sink in. _Slow-processing brain,_ he said _._ He was calling her _slow_? Shiina clenched her fists. "You're not calling me stupid, are you?"

 _Patience_. Naoi released a patient sigh. "I guess you're just too stupid to understand what I mean that you _have_ to repeat it every single time."

She closed her eyes, _her_ patience depleting like a _time bomb_. She heaved a breath. Naturally, the volcanic calderas inside of Shiina riled up of more annoyance when he said that. It _annoyed_ her to the bone, growing to irritation, frustration, and finally, to _anger_. She knew that it was irrational to just be angry at him for that simple, childish little thing, but she'd been frustrated at Yuri these past few hours because of assigning her this stupid job. She'd been keeping her temper ever since—but, just like any volcano, this magmatic frustration had to go _somewhere_.

Because Yuri wasn't here to be mad at, Naoi would have no choice but to deal with it.

She lifted her eyelids to reveal a pair of menacing cat eyes, glowing against the dark, as rich and red as the blood that would soon cover her hungry hands.

" _Don't_ ," she drawled, threateningly landing a hand onto the handle of her blade snugly tucked into her side. She narrowed her eyes. "Don't make me force you to shut your mouth up."

Naoi took his eyes away from the walkie-talkie, and looked at her. But instead of the fear and intimidation that Shiina expected—rather, _hoped_ —to see in those eyes of his, she only saw…interest. As if _amused_ to see what happens next, as if being entertained by her warnings of stabbing him. No fear, just amusement, as if she were a circus clown and he was a critic.

 _That, too_. She hated when he made that kind of impression, not at all frightened or at least intimidated by her warning. She was annoyed of the fact that he was the only person she can't seem to unnerve.

Meanwhile, Naoi looked down at the hand on the knife. When he realized the gesture, he smirked, knowing that the pathetic attempt of trying to scare him was going in vain. Little girl trying to intimidate the Student Council Vice President Ayato Naoi? She's being foolish.

_Who is this girl to think that she could challenge me?_

Inspired by this thought, he neared his face threateningly to hers, just for the fun of seeing how she'd react. Shiina instinctively had to back away to avoid getting any contact of him onto her face. But no matter how she tried, she couldn't be able to avoid the intensity of his eyes—because they were so extremely close, so close that she felt their separate body heat combine mix into one another's. Their noses were only mere centimeters away. A sudden movement forward…and they would kiss.

She felt blood rush toward her cheeks when _that_ thought reached her mind. Her face furiously blushed into a deep shade of red, scolding herself for even thinking of something as stupid as _that_. _Shiina? Naoi? Kiss?_ Those words would NEVER exist in the same sentence. Ever. But as they continued to stay in that awkward position, Shiina, against her will, observed that his eyes were a soulful shade of amber and that his smile was complacent. It was strangely...handsome. A rather… _attractive_ combination of golden hazels, forest greens, and seductive navies. His dark green hair even gently brushed against the cold skin of her cheek when the wind softly blew it to her direction.

Her heart thumped so loudly in her chest at the mere contact. That faint swipe of his hair onto her face made her breath hitch, like she was going to hyperventilate. Her hands gripped the grass under her, her anger now directed to _herself_. _What now, Eri?_ Are you going to flip over JUST because his hair touched your face?

It's just hair. Just stupid hair with a stupid shade of stupid green. So why is she making a big deal out of it? She'd been acting strange lately when it came around him. She even grew conscious of the school uniform blouse she was wearing, and the usually-unbuttoned last two buttons of her blouse were now fastened just because of _him._ She never did that just because of a boy, but now…

What is _wrong_ with her?

"Perhaps," he drawled, interrupting her thoughts, his eyes so strikingly amber that magnetized her to his. His voice so implausibly low and his warm breath tickling her cold cheeks, he continued, "Do you need my help to _make_ you shut up?"

The golden color of his eyes were slowly drowned in a glowing, crimson color. Contradictory to Naoi's claim, Shiina _actually_ had a sharp-processing brain—thank goodness for that—and she knew _exactly_ what attack was coming next, with the knowledge of how to counter it. She found it difficult to do, but she was able to force herself to look away before he started to speak sweet words she would soon unwantedly obey.

She knew for a fact that once you get lost in those red eyes of his, there was no chance of control once he'd already entered your mind. So the best way was to really avoid direct contact.

"Don't be foolish," she harshly snapped, once she was able to tear her eyes from him. Her mind was spinning in circles; face was flaming red. _So it's true. His eyes_ **were** _mesmerizing, just as Hinata says._ And she hated herself for noticing.

At first she really didn't believe that the art of hypnotism was real, and that it only worked on stupid people who aren't paying enough attention. But right now, she couldn't believe she almost fell for another one of his tricks if it wasn't for her sharpness; or else she'd end up crying over a clothespin, or something even more horrid.

"Y-Your stupid words won't work on me," she added, an edge into her teetering voice as she looked at the side, furiously trying to avoid those mischievous ruby eyes.

An impressed smile spread over Naoi's face, and he withdrew. His eyes were closed when he said, "Not bad. You know how to handle yourself around hypnotists, as well."

Shiina tried not to be too thrilled about his compliment. "I'm still getting used to handling stupid idiots—"

"Does it make you happy when I compliment you?" he suddenly cut off.

She buried her head in her scarf, trying to hide that stupid, stupid reddening. Where did _that_ question come from? "N—"

"Ah," he interjected again, grinning that it almost looked scary. "So it _does_ make you happy."

Shiina glared at him. "What makes you so sure?"

Naoi seemed pleased to be asked. "I'm a hypnotist, love. I know how the minds of people work. It's how I control them. The way you avoid my eyes when I try to catch contact with them; the way you stiffened when I praised you; the way you tried to hide a smile; the way you're blushing. All signs of stubborn delight over a compliment."

He reached out a hand to sweep over some blue strands of hair that hid her face from him. Shiina froze, her eyes widening when Naoi's fingers lightly touched her skin when he swept away some hair. "And," he continued, his voice dropping lower, in a seductive kind of tone, "the way your hair falls over your cheeks."

Shiina buried her head into her knees, which was pulled up to her chest; desperately trying to hide under her scarf. She didn't know if it was because of his handsome features, his handsome voice, his handsome smell of cloves, the handsome way he called her love—

_Stop it._

Shiina was full on blushing now, her body sparked with this strange feeling…of electrifying… frivolity. Giddiness. His hand was just there, sweeping away azure tendrils of hair, fingers faintly touching the cold skin of her cheek. His hazel gaze was intensifying, a pair of yellow snake eyes in the sinister darkness, staring at her captured, cerise crimson orbs. But she forced herself to snap back to reality, slapping hand away from her face.

"Stop harassing me."

As Naoi withdrew his hand, Shiina felt a little disappointed as his touch left her skin. _What am I thinking?_ Shiina scolded herself, keeping the blood from rushing to her face. But Naoi, he was just there, watching, scrutinizing, and his grin grew wider, pleased by her reactions.

He snickered.

"Cute."

She couldn't take it anymore. Shiina Eri _wasn't_ trained to _blush,_ and she wasn't going to let a stupid boy think he was superior or something. She suddenly jerked her head up, and Naoi immediately withdrew himself to avoid getting bitten. You couldn't blame him. There was a murderous glint in her eyes when she said, "Shut. Up." This time, it was Shiina who was leaning her face to threaten Naoi. "And don't call me cute. It won't get you anywhere."

The smirk wasn't gone. "Not even your private dorm, Shiina-chan?"

The reddening ninja cleared her throat. "Do you _want_ me to kill you? Just tell me. Could do that a hundred times." She glared at him through the darkness, and neared her face to Naoi's even closer. "With pleasure."

"What?" said Naoi, mock surprise conquering his mirthful eyes. "Do you prefer calling me Ayato-kun?"

_Yes! Yes, your Shiina-chan would love to call you Ayato-kun! It would be so cute!_

Ha-ha-ha. Like that would happen.

She held a tight grip of her own mind, hoping that redness wasn't conquering her face. Clearing her throat and withdrawing back to her former position, she said, "No, calling you _idiot_ is fine." She crossed her hands over her chest. "So shut up, _idiot_."

Naoi frowned, and returned to business by looking back at his walkie-talkie. "You know, you're the one who started this conversation. You should follow your own advice."

She glared at him with sharp, accusing eyes. "No, _you're_ the one who should do the following."

"No, you."

"No, you."

They were clearly growing annoyed of each other.

"I have a GREAT idea," piped in the static voice of Yuri, and the two of them broke their glowering war and suddenly spun their heads to look at the walkie-talkie in Naoi's hand. "Why don't you BOTH just shut up?"

Shiina's laugh was bitter. "Yeah, it's a _great_ idea for you to force me get stuck with this whining, self-obsessed idiot—"

"—with this whining, self-proclaimed ninja!"

They glared back at each other and forgot Yuri, a competition of whose stare was more deathly than the first.

"Who are you calling a whining idiot?" seethed Naoi, gripping tightly the walkie-talkie that the innocent thing was afraid might break.

"Who are _you_ calling a whining ninja?" growled Shiina, hoping she'd bore holes into his eyeballs.

"Aww, you two are _SO_ incredibly cute." Yuri laughed from the walkie-talkie. "Wish I could take a picture."

Naoi whipped his head to look at the walkie-talkie and whisper-shouted into it. "For the last time, Shiina and I are _never_ cute. I'll never like this stupid ninja. Don't call us cute or I'll—"

"Touchy," said Yuri, waving it off. "You're hurting Shiina's feelings, you know."

 _Am I really that transparent?_ Shiina asked herself. But she cleared her throat to cover the hurt from her face. "Just get on with it."

Yuri sighed from the other line, as if disappointed that she wasn't able to tease them any longer. They had a mission to accomplish, anyway. "Alright. This is the final roll call. Shiina, Naoi, you two set on your positions, undetected?"

Shiina and Naoi responded the same. "Affirmative."

Yuri nodded from the other line. "Takeyama-kun, status?"

"Hacking successful. The building's main power source is now infiltratable; password is changed into SELNA, all caps. Also, call me Chri—"

"Otonashi, Matsushita, Takamatsu, TK," Yuri interjected, "how are the traps?"

"Traps are set, Yurippe."

"Oyama, Fujimaki?"

"All the other NPCs inside the building in target had already gone out to witness the concert."

"Good. All we'll need now is a signal from Yusa—"

"Yurippe-san, do you read? The GirlDeMo had reached its highest level of excitement."

"Yes!" Yuri shouted, perhaps over-gleefully. "Operation, start!"

Shiina and Naoi looked at each other with dread. Both didn't want to go in there with the presence of the other—but they nodded, and finally got out of the bushes and started to run towards the old building.

The sooner this mission is accomplished, the sooner they'd leave each other alone.


End file.
